Tacx Neo not in ERG-mode

[nmenasche]

@mcneese.chad

This points to you trying to solve a problem, and effectively creating a new one (or at the least not solving the problem).

With ERG, the absolute, single most important aspect to make if function well is to hold your cadence steady, and I mean STEADY.

1. Do you best to hold a predictable cadence that varies less than +/-5 rpm (and +/- 3 would be even better).
2. Ignore the power target and focus on your cadence (see #1 above).

When you alter your cadence to adjust power, you are effectively breaking the process that ERG attempts to perform. In essence, ERG works great with constant input (rpm) and will apply the appropriate resistance to hit the power target.

Issues arise from inconsistent input (deliberate or accidental) and will cause the trainer to adjust more often than it should. Each adjustment takes some time, and is not instant (nor would we want it to be).

When you get into the shorter intervals (less than 60 seconds) and bigger jumps (40% of FTP to 150%+ FTP), you can hit the limit of what some trainers can practically handle. These short on/off types of workouts are often best when done in Resistance mode (and not ERG mode).

For longer efforts over 1 minute, you just need to ignore power, and hold the cadence. Let the trainer and app do the work. I find when you do this, you will get very close to the interval targets. If you are the type of person that frets over 1 watt variation, ERG may well not be for you.

Thank you, Chad. This makes a lot of sense and definitely may explain what I’m experiencing. I may have to just drop off ERG when doing things like Taylor -2 or other VO2 Max type short efforts.

[Thebigred]

@nmenasche

ff ERG when doing things like Taylor -2 or other

But I still dont understand why? If I read Chad’s comment correctly, he recommends to keep steady state. How does it differ in resistance mode? At the end, steady cadence means steady power plus steady HR. I am confused and still could not understand what resistance mode will bring extra?

[mcneese.chad]

When you switch to Resistance mode, you are effectively riding a smart trainer acting as a dumb trainer.

The assumption (that I did not state) is that you will need to shift and adjust cadence like a regular trainer (and not like using ERG on a smart trainer).

That allows the rider to make changes in power to match target power faster, via shifting and cadence adjustments, that a smart trainer can’t match.

So it’s common for some riders to use Resistance or Standard mode in TR, for the short and sharp types of intervals.

Does that make sense?